Streams and rivers around the province are running much faster and higher than normal, and the BC Coroners Service is warning residents to take extreme care.
There have already been three deaths this spring; two young men in Golden Ears Provincial Park, and a young woman who fell into Swift Current Creek near Valemont.
People can significantly underestimate the force that can be unleashed by a fast-running river, said Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe, and do not realize how different it is from the quiet stream where they regularly swim, raft or paddle.
If is a river is running quickly, about six inches of water can sweep a person downstrem and about two fee of water can carry away most vehicles.
And while the bank of a stream or creek may look stable, they can become quickly eroded by water and collapse easily under weight.
The BC Coroners Service has released its latest report into accidental drowning deaths, looking at the period from 2008 to 2012.
The report looks at a total of 397 deaths over the five-year period. Of those, 58.7 per cent occurred in the summer months of May through August.
Of all deaths recorded, impairment by alcohol or drugs was a factor in 40.2 per cent of the cases.
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